Public Health: Maternal Health

Virtual Human Embryo (VHE) project is a free resource designed to increase understanding of human embryology and to encourage study of human embryonic development by providing students and researchers with reliable resources for human embryo morphology.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Preconception Health+Health Care Initiative partnership has created a toolkit designed to help primary care providers, their colleagues and their practices incorporate preconception health into the routine care of women of childbearing age. The tool kit is designed to help primary care providers meet their patient’s needs based on the response to this “vital sign” question: “Are you hoping to become pregnant in the next year?” The goal of the toolkit is to help clinicians reach every woman who might someday become pregnant every time she presents for routine primary care with efficient, evidence-based strategies and resources.

The database Drugs and Lactation, or LactMed, is a database of drugs and other chemicals to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. It includes information on the levels of such substances in breast milk and infant blood, and the possible adverse effects in the nursing infant. Lactmed contains about 1,000 records on drugs, herbals and dietary supplements with references that are linked to their respective PubMed records. LactMed is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. LactMed is part of the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET®)

"The mission of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) is to provide leadership, in partnership with key stakeholders, to improve the physical and mental health, safety and well-being of the maternal and child health (MCH) population which includes all of the nation’s women, infants, children, adolescents, and their families, Including fathers and children with special health care needs."

The system provides state- and county-level data for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories and possessions. Data are available by gender, race and ethnicity and come from a variety of national and state sources. The system is organized into eleven main categories, including demographics, mortality, natality, reproductive health, violence, prevention, disease and mental health. Within each main category, there are numerous subcategories.

"Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. While motherhood is often a positive and fulfilling experience, for too many women it is associated with suffering, ill-health and even death."

The vision of WHO/RHR is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of sexual and reproductive health. It strives for a world where all women’s and men’s rights to enjoy sexual and reproductive health are promoted and protected, and all women and men, including adolescents and those who are underserved or marginalized, have access to sexual and reproductive health information and services.

"PeriStats is developed by the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center and provides access to maternal and infant health data for the United States and by state or region, including more than 60,000 graphs, maps, and tables."